If I buy all my food from a grocery store, I have no idea how these items were grown or made or how many preservatives are in them. While my home and I are not exactly equipped to grow and provide all the food for my family, I am ready to get started. I want to live a sustainable city life and I know I’m not alone. What’s up next for my family? Expanding our garden and getting chickens this Spring! Yup, we will have chickens in the city.

If you’ve been excited to start your own urban farm, maybe some of these links will inspire you. They’ve certainly inspired me!

Reading material:A Chicken in Every Yard. I read this book and loved it. It’s a wealth of information for anyone looking to raise their own chickens, and have zero idea where to start. The couple that wrote this are from my city, Portland.

Blogging about it:Diggin Food. One of my favorite urban gardening blogs. Willi provides a ton of gardening tips and recipes for you to enjoy. Explore her archives, you may just find an answer to your garden questions!

Other ideas:Farm My Yard. Don’t really have time to garden your own yard? Well, maybe someone else would like to farm your yard for you! While this is actually an Oregon website, it’s possible that your city may have a similar program. Here’s a quick rundown of how it works:

1. If you have a yard to share (and don’t have the time to garden), print out or buy a “Farm My Yard” Sign.
2. Place that sign in a visible spot.
3. A neighbor/friend/farmer will see this sign and is interested in farming your yard and knocks on your door.
4. Sign the use agreement which comes with the sign.

What’s Next:

1. Bold and graphic wallpaper: All those years of steaming and scraping wallpaper are behind us (well, hopefully). Wallpaper installation and removal has come a long way. Many places now carry easy to remove wallpaper (a.k.a. renter’s paper). Sherwin Williams carries some.

2. Mixed patterns for everyone: I’ve always loved mixing patterns. Always. I feel like this trend is going to catch on more this next year. Chevrons, stripes, and a wall of bold printed wallpaper.

Accessories I’m Adding: Brooches. I like to add a brooch to each sweater and jacket. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add a grouping of brooches to a dress. Brooches are also a lovely decoration in a glass bowl, maybe in your bedroom?